Poppies: Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red

by Imperial War Museums

Of the countless commemorations of the centennial of World War I, the most striking and unforgettable was surely an art installation at the Tower of London. Created by Paul Cummins, with installation design by Tom Piper, the installation was titled Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, and it consisted of 888,246 ceramic poppies that slowly were added to the Tower’s moat between July 18 and November 11, 2014. Each poppy represented a British or Colonial military fatality during the war; taken together, they offered a remarkable visual representation of the staggering human cost of the conflict.
 
The installation garnered worldwide attention and drew more than five million visitors. This book presents specially commissioned color photographs of the installation at the Tower and through its later travels to nineteen other locations throughout the United Kingdom. Featuring forewords by Cummins and Piper reflecting on the conception and creation of the project, the book captures the artwork in all its power.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2018

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spotted this by chance on my library tour, standing out as it did with its distinctive spine and simple 'Poppies' title. It is a lovely book recording one of the most memorable features of the UK WWI centenary observation, a project involving a ceramic poppy made and displayed for every 'British or colonial' life lost, an inspired* work by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper. The original "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" Tower of London installation turning into two which toured and individual poppies dispersing.

It's big enough for the art but not so big it turns into a glossy coffee table book. I was surprised by how moving it was to see it all again, but then, that was what happened with the installation. I remember my aunt describing the impact of seeing the original, which she had not planned to visit, I remember going to the Derby Silk Mill to see the Weeping Window, who I was with that day and who is not now here.

The book shows how 'Waves' and 'Weeping Window' looked in all their locations across the UK and each location has an introduction from someone involved with the local project. The NI entry was exasperatingly vague about the particular issues there. The photographs, and sometimes the written details, combine so much - a variety of architecture, the emotional impact of the symbolism, the meaning of the wider location and the relevance to the war, the community engagement. Many of the poppies were sold to raise funds for relevant charities and there are photographs showing those in their locations around the world - I'd've like more details from their owners.

*Inspired, it turns out, at Chesterfield library. Libraries, worth fighting for.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poppies en mass as beautiful urban sculpture. Or at least interacting with the built environment and stone fortresses. The symbolism is perfectly balanced: The ephemeral plant against the solidity of more permanent stone. This is a brilliant title for an astoundingly moving series of commemorative art.
The artwork has the honour of speaking for the river of loss as both an individual pain and a collective grief without exactly glorifying war. Such a powerful and sensitive visual statement, that opens the door to discussion and memory and maybe even comfort.
The book has lovely photographs but I could wish for more personal stories either from the veterans families, or the artists and craftsmen or the volunteers. I wanted a little bit more poetry and connection from the words to match the strength of the art in the pictures. The book almost lives up to its title but maybe that is expecting to much. The art is brilliantly conceived, executed and displayed in all its various locations.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review - I got this book when I went to see the poppies in situ at the Imperial War Museum in London, weeping window coming down the building. It was so emotional and so uplifting at the same time. It’s difficult to describe, but I knew I had to have this book to commemorate such a momentous event as the centenary of the First World War. The book explains about how the idea for the 888,246 ceramic poppies came about, and what it took to make them and then put them in place at the Tower of London, and then tour them around the UK so that as many people as possible could see them.

General Subject/s? - History / World War One / First World War

Recommend? – Yes

Rating - 20/20

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